Objective To observe the effect of nursing-led auricular acupressure therapy in improving the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer patients with chemotherapy of paclitaxel.

Methods A total of 86 patients were randomly divided into study group and control group, with 43 cases in each group. The study group was treated with traditional western medicine and auricular acupressure, while the control group was treated with traditional western medicine alone. The clinical efficacy and scores of peripheral neuropathy symptoms were compared between the two groups.

Results After treatment, the scores of limb numbness, limb pain, fatigue and tendon reflex in both groups were significantly lower than those before treatment, and the scores of the above symptoms in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05).The total effective rate of the study group was 88.4% (38/43), which was significantly higher than 74.4% (32/43) in the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion The nursing-led auricular acupressure therapy combined with mecobalamin can improve the symptoms of peripheral neurotoxicity in breast cancer patients treated with paclitaxel, with the advantages of non-invasiveness, simplicity, safety, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and good compliance.